


Days

by rawrxsushii



Series: When Stars Align [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia is a bitch, Demyx is done, Gen, KHUX - Freeform, Not Canon Compliant - Kingdom Hearts III, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep, Post-Kingdom Hearts χ, Vexen just wants to finish his research, no beta we die like men, with this shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22545775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rawrxsushii/pseuds/rawrxsushii
Summary: Ansem discovered a lost keyblade wielder in the Realm of Darkness while on a mission to retrieve Ansem the Wise. He brought the child back to the Organization in hopes to learn more about their existence and power.It turned out to be a lot harder than it looked.
Series: When Stars Align [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/873723
Comments: 39
Kudos: 208





	1. Vexen

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER** : All Square Enix/Disney characters mentioned and used in this fictional work is/are the property of their respective mother companies. They are not mine and are only being used to share my love for this franchise, its story, and characters to everyone in the lovely place called the internet.
> 
> This is the sequel to "Hope is a Lie, but I'll Believe It Anyway", the second in the "When Stars Align" series. This picks up immediately after the one-shot and would follow Organization's reactions, interactions, and/or opinions of an amnesiac keyblade wielder in their midst. Because of the events of KH3 completely sweeping KH Union under the rug unless it was relevant (in the latter half), this series is now completely alternate universe. (Also I definitely got a lot of things wrong from KH Union lore's side. Damn you Nomura!!!!)
> 
> Feel free to imagine yourself, or your player character as the child in this fic. [Player] is gender neutral in all my fics and is usually nameless, so have at it!
> 
> Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.

Even needed to atone.

After his body and heart merged to piece himself back to life, he was forced to live with the guilt his Nobody could not. He performed immoral acts, without a shred of emotion, in his pursuit for wisdom and _a heart_. His avarice for insight opened a lot of doors, and it led him to creating his magnum opus, the Replica program.

As Vexen, it was his pride and joy. He would've done anything and everything to perfect. Its inception was the height of his career as a scientist. Vexen crafted twenty vessels, wherein only two succeeded expectations. The first was a replica implanted with the data of Riku. Altered memories were implanted in it for absolute compliance, but after it learned of its identity, it acted against its purpose and was defeated. The remaining success remained to be his most perfect design. No. i, an imaginary number, or as it was known to the rest of Organization, Xion.

It was perfect.

Perhaps even _too_ perfect because even without a heart, it resembled and acted very much like a human with one. It formed bonds with two other’s and developed a will of its own, so much so that it risked repeating the same defiance as Riku Replica once did. It became unstable and they had to put it down. The data from both specimens would’ve helped him complete his research but he was terminated by his own colleague.

He didn't immediately regain consciousness as Even. It was though he was alive, but not quite able to move as freely as he hoped. He remained idle in his own body, aware of the passage of time, unable to do anything.

His helplessness allowed him some time to think. Even was proud of the Replica program and what it could achieve to help the people that need it, but he couldn't live with the sins that allowed for such research to be possible.

He needed to fix what he did.

He had no idea how to, nor where to begin.

It wasn't until an old colleague of his, Saix, if he remembered his name correctly from his time as a Nobody, offered him a chance to perfect the Replicas.

He was inclined to ignore it, but Saix also presented him with a chance for salvation; a way to right his wrongs. It would force him to repeat similar wrongdoings just to perfect it, but in perfecting it he would also be able to help the right people. He would be able to provide bodies for hearts that deserved to be their own people.

Even didn't need further persuasion.

He returned to being Vexen, with half his heart infused with Xehanort's, becoming one of their reserves while he completed the Replica program for the rest of the chosen. Before his re-employment, the new, real, Organization burned through his remaining prototypes, to house the hearts of the chosen displaced from their proper times.

Xehanort wanted him to finish his replica bodies to be near human, flesh-and-blood. _Permanent_ bodies to replace not merely replicate. The research had a long way to go, but the few successful models were already occupied by the chosen thirteen. Vexen hoped the answers to perfection lay in the heart of Davy Jones, but was utterly disappointed when he discovered it was a physical heart and not a metaphysical one.

Nevertheless, Vexen continued to work himself toward perfection. He crafted one vessel after the other, creating more than thirteen to act as reserve bodies for the chosen, should they need it. Vexen kept a few replicas for himself to hand it over those that deserve it.

Saix had already informed him of the plan. He just needed to go through with it without raising the attention of the chosen few. He intended to start recruiting Demyx, as Saix planned, to help with their plot against Xehanort but was held back when Ansem suddenly barged in his study with an unconscious child in his arms.

The real Organization functioned similarly to the old one. They all had their missions that rarely intersected with another's. It kept them ignorant of others movements, but it was efficient. It also placed responsibility on only one person, which made pointing fingers and blame easy.

Vexen however, knew of Ansem's mission because of their shared history with the latter's target. Ansem retrieved the real Ansem, their teacher and Master, from the Realm of Darkness. He expected Ansem to run directly towards Twilight Town after he succeeded in finding their Master, but it seems something else piqued his colleagues' interest.

Vexen didn't like dividing his attention to so many things at once, but he couldn't act suspicious to one of the highest ranking chosen. Ansem ordered him to learn everything he could about the child, and begrudgingly, Vexen obliged. He shoved the child inside a pod and silently apologized for whatever horrors he had to do just to satisfy Ansem's thirst for knowledge about this kid.

Thankfully, Ansem didn't stick long enough to watch him work and Vexen was allowed to drop his mad scientist facade. He worked earnestly and as gently as he could with them, but honestly did not expect.

Vexen did not need computers and data to know that the child looked close to death's door. They were pale white, and breathing was far too shallow to cycle oxygen through their body. It would be a mercy to end the child's life here. He may have chosen to sell his heart to the devil again, but if Vexen could prevent more lives being sacrificed for Xehanort's pursuit of power, he would do it in a heartbeat.

To his surprise, however, the child's data showed peculiar results that urged him to run the tests twice, thrice even, just to be certain. The results however, continued to vary every time. The child before him was seemingly frozen between the state of dying and actual death. They had _no_ heart, yet at the same time did. It was like they were struggling to keep their heart against the natural forces that threatened to swallow it whole. 

It was nothing like he'd ever seen before, and Vexen was one of the few leading experts in the study of the heart. This was _new_. With his scientific mind intrigued, Vexen found himself lost in a fervor for knowledge. This might help him perfect his replica program, and perhaps in his pursuit of such, he would be able to save this child and fulfill his atonement.

Vexen tried to pry for memories that he could pour into a Replica but soon found it impossible. The child had no memories. The very few he did manage to salvage were useless. Too many gaps to make sense and create a near perfect replication of them. He tried searching for other data, but ended with nothing.

The child was a mystery. Vexen wondered where Ansem found such a fascinating specimen.

After hours of careful observation, not much has changed with the child's state. Vexen read through his data again and hypothesized that the child was in some hibernative state to preserve themself. Preserve them from what? He did not have the faintest.

He retreated from his current obsession and returned to his Replicas. Xehanort's patience for half-baked puppets can only run for so long. Vexen needed to come forward with a perfect model soon or else he could not guarantee his own life. He was already shoved deeper down the hierarchy as a reserve after all.

Vexen prepared a vessel and linked it with the remaining data they had from No. i before it developed a will. He grabbed a vial of darkness extracted from Heartless beforehand and poured it onto the doll. He waited for the data's memories to grow familiar with the energy and hopefully merge with it, thus creating a working replica.

Its wispy purple form weaved around the body, studying its form, then wrapped itself around the replica. Vexen blinked, intrigued when the dark energy seeped through the doll, but nothing of note happened to the body. Even in failed attempts, the replica would take the form of something incomplete, usually a grotesque imitation of a person.

"How peculiar." He ran the usual tests to figure out what had gone wrong, and hopefully locate that darkness that had mysteriously disappeared. To his surprise, the system monitoring the child sprang to life.

Vexen's eyes grew wide as new data flooded in. A heartbeat, still weak but nonetheless present, slowly restarted their bodily functions. Their chest rose with every breath, and soon enough the color of their skin returned. The child started to recover, but they remained unconscious in their pod. The numbers continued to rise just below average the expected data to revive a supposedly comatose body. When it plateaued, Vexen's excitement fell. He was missing something here.

_What caused the sudden change in their physiology?_

He narrowed his eyes at the youngling while he replayed his actions prior to this development in his mind. He did not leave the room nor touched or injected anything in them since they arrived. The only other thing he did was - Vexen gasped.

"No, that can't be."

Vexen quickly recalibrated the system and searched for the child's affinity with the darkness and instantly found a match. They connected to the darkness meant for the Replica.

"How… did you do that? _Why_ did you do that?"

Encouraged by this development, Vexen called for as much Heartless as he could with his limited control of the darkness, and forced them into his extraction chamber. After he collected enough, Vexen moved on to the next phase.

"Begin recording a new entry for trials on an unknown subject I will now refer to as Subject U.E, short unknown entity," he said. "Origins of the subject are also unknown, however I am inclined to believe they were extracted from the Realm of Darkness. Data gathered from the subject yielded contrasting results that required further studies."

"They rejected attempts of reanimation until the subject appeared to have absorbed the darkness meant for a Replica. They used it to repair themselves however the subject remains in a comatose state. The amount may not have been enough. To test, I will now expose them to more Darkness extracted from Heartless."

Vexen released the energy through a tube connected directly into the child's pod and watched as the darkness swirled around the child. The purple smoke obscured his ability to properly observe them but the monitors told him enough. The child reacted to the Darkness and had begun accepting it. Soon enough, the energy subsided and seemingly rested around the child's left arm.

Their numbers raised within the average line, but the child remained asleep.

Vexen pulled up their heart's data and was impressed to find it being restored as well. Darkness mended a large majority of the child's missing heart and appeared to have woven seamlessly with it. It was like the Darkness lived within them rather than be used as a weapon by them.

Very intriguing indeed.

As Vexen moved to collect more darkness to hopefully complete the child's odd requirement to be reanimated, Ansem returned with yet another tag along; one of his prototypes inhabited by the heart of someone named Vanitas.

"I expect you to have learned something new in the time I've given you," Ansem started.

It wasn't really that long of a time, but Vexen was diligent. Granted he stumbled upon this predicament by complete accident, he was not going to discredit his credibility as a scientist.

“I've managed to stabilize their vitals, but they've yet to show signs of consciousness. I'm afraid I will need more time to find something worth your time."

Ansem scanned through the data flashed on the screen, his history as a former student of the real Ansem the Wise enabling him to read and understand it, while Vanitas stepped a bit closer to the healing pod, his helmet tilted to the side in interest.

"What's the deal with this thing?" the masked kid asked. "They're like my brother, sleeping without a care in the world. It pisses me off."

Vexen narrowed his eyes at him. "Kindly step away. I do not want you contaminating my subject."

"Contaminating?" he scoffed. "Do you even know what you're working with here?"

"I do not. Which is _why_ I am studying them. Now back away before you hurt yourself."

Vanitas shrugged him off dismissively and returned his attention to the pod. Vexen clicked his tongue and said, "I do not mean to disrupt the order of superiority, Ansem, but would you _please_ put a leash on that heathen. Everything in this room is irreplaceable. I will not tolerate his pets wreaking havoc just because he developed a new fancy with _my_ subject."

Vanitas chuckled. "Oh don't worry, nerd, I know how to handle myself perfectly. If anything, I'd ask _you_ to be more careful with them."

Vexen raised an eyebrow. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"The child harbors Darkness in their heart," Ansem answered. "When they fought me in the Realm of Darkness, they were able to use it against me. Their connection is weak, but with proper guidance we may be able to use it to our advantage."

Vexen bit his tongue. Ansem intended to use the child as a vessel. Were they not satisfied with their thirteen already? Nor their growing reserve count. "Even if they could use the darkness like that. What's to say they could hold their own against a guardian of light? They're a child."

"You're awfully thoughtful for someone without a heart," Vanitas said. "Feeling empathic all of a sudden?"

"I merely stated what I observed. I mean nothing by it."

Vanitas grinned behind his visor. " _Sure_."

Vexen scowled at his younger colleague and turned to the other. "I stand by my inquiry, Ansem. There's no guarantee I can wake them before the intended battle. Not to mention, I still need to perfect the Replicas for the rest of the thirteen. This is far too much work even for myself."

"They summoned a keyblade," Ansem said.

Vexen blinked. Vanitas turned his head slightly to their superior, without a doubt hiding a grin behind his visor. "Well isn't that something," the younger cooed.

"That’s – That’s impossible. We have records of all past and present keyblade wielders."

"It appears that we were mistaken."

Vexen pursed his lips in thought. "If that's the case, why haven't you turned them into one of us? Their heart is incomplete. There would barely be any resistance if from them." Ansem's eyes twitched, a rare display of emotion from the sentient Heartless. "You've tried haven't you?"

"After we returned, the child showed signs of death. Master promised his full cooperation to locate Subject X if I saved them," Ansem said. "Knowing what they could do, I thought it useful to save them and make them ours as well. However, they rejected it."

Vexen gaped. The child was immune to the darkness? Impossible. The data reported that the child was more likely to absorb the darkness pushed into them to preserve themself than ignore it. It's possible that the child remained alive all this time because Ansem gave them what they needed.

"They need it," Vanitas said his thoughts aloud.

" _Excuse me?_ "

"Look, lab-coat, I don't understand a single fuck about your science and the weird mumbo-jumbo you have here, but it's obvious what this kid needs."

"I am a man of science," Vexen said. "I only trust what I can observe, not what I feel. Lest you can explain yourself and show me with proof, then I suggest you remain quiet while the adults talk it out."

Vanitas placed a hand over the glass and called forth the darkness that lingered within the child's pod. He pulled the energy out and played with the tendrils of smoke around his thickly padded fingers. The child's vitals dipped below average again, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

Ansem raised a brow at the screen, and Vexen grabbed Vanitas' hand and slapped it back to the glass. The darkness flowed back unto the unconscious child and their vitals peaked again. Vexen glared at Vanitas who smirked behind his mask, "That proof enough for you?"

"That does not prove anything."

"Darkness can take form in various ways. I don't need your science to tell me what I am. I am made of darkness. I am darkness; and so this kid. They just happened to be more dependent to it than I am"

"That makes no sense!" Vexen cried. "No one is _just_ an entity of darkness."

Vanitas chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

"You cheeky-"

"Vexen," Ansem said. "Have you introduced more of it to them since I left?"

Vexen pressed the bridge of his nose and nodded. "It's what stabilized them, but I couldn’t extract enough from the Heartless to wake them. I will continue to expose them to small doses. We can't be certain if they require a certain limit, and, or if too much of it could kill them in the end."

Ansem studied the child for a moment before he nodded at Vanitas. "Well then," the younger waved his hand and called forth darkness beyond the amount Vexen just indicated. "Let's give them what they need."

Vexen held back Vanitas' before the latter could touch the pod. "Are you deaf? I _just_ said introducing large amounts into their body may present untoward results. We want them alive, not dead!"

Vanitas scoffed behind his mask. "Relax. They just need a little more push, right buddy?" He shoved Vexen away and placed his hand on the pod again.

The darkness seeped through the glass and coated around the child who finally moved for the first time since they arrived. They trashed around violently within the mist just as the screens turned red, alerting them of the sudden spike of heart rate and darkness integrating with the child's damaged heart.

"You ignorant fool!" he shouted. "You’re overwhelming them!"

Vexen hastily pressed commands and controls unto the device to return the child's vitals to normal, while Vanitas ignored his ramblings and did the complete opposite. He pushed more energy towards them, causing the child to scream out loud; seemingly in pain at being exposed to more than what was necessary. "That's it. A little more, kid…"

"Vanitas!"

They were all thrown back by a pulse of darkness which short circuited the technology around them, and even messed with the lights in the room, plunging them in a familiar darkness. The lights slowly flickered back to life while the computer displayed a green command text over a blackened screen.

Vanitas pushed himself up to his elbows, clearly annoyed, while Ansem emerged behind his Guardian, unbothered by the sudden burst of energy. Vexen stumbled up to his feet and quickly worked the system back online. The pod thankfully was unaffected because it ran on magic rather than electricity, and kept on retrieving data and storing it on its temporary data space.

The child's remained asleep, seemingly back into a state of relaxation before Vanitas tampered with their bodies' balance. "Ain't that something?" Vanitas gaped. "They rejected me too."

Vexen growled. Vanitas had great ideas, but he was simply too impulsive and reckless to make the smallest ounce of intelligence in his replicated brain to make it count.

"No, you _idiot_. They couldn't handle it like I said yet your impatient ass insisted they take it all. What would you have done if that killed them?!"

Vanitas scoffed. "They're not dead, so what's there to be angry about."

"That’s not the point I’m making!”

"If I wanted to kill them, they'd be dead already. They’re fine. A little shaken, but fine."

Vexen growled and reached into the still darkness in the room, making the temperature drop several degrees enough to form a thin sheet of ice around Vanitas' helmet. He was going to crush that little pricks' ego with his own power just to teach him a lesson.

Ansem stepped between them before Vexen could keep at it, however. "We know what they need now, give it to them. I need them to wake soon, or else we lose Master's compliance. I assure you Vanitas will receive due punishment for his insubordination."

Vanitas huffed and crossed his arms in defiance, while Vexen narrowed his eyes at the former. "Very well, I shall return to my work."

Ansem nodded and retreated back into the dark corridor with Vanitas close behind his heel. The masked teen looked over the child one more time and chuckled. “Can’t wait for you to wake up, kid.”

Vexen waited for them to disappear completely from the room before he sighed aloud. "When I agreed to come back, I did not sign up for this." He turned to the child and ironically smiled. "If you could do me a favor, don’t wake up. I would be of more help to you more once I have finished with all of this. I've sacrificed enough children in my chase for knowledge.”

The child’s finger twitched.

“Ah," Vexen gaped, unaware of the child's growing consciousness. “You’ve done quite the damage on my computer haven’t you? I should fix this immediately.” He summoned a corridor and excused himself, leaving the child alone in a white room.

Ever so slowly, their eyes fluttered open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAA I FINALLY DID IT. I WROTE A CONTINUATION TO THIS SERIES. I've been meaning to write this for so long but had no idea how to start or go through with it. All I know was that I wanted the Organization to be involved, but I also did not want to mess up the canon too much. [Player] can't be a Seeker (or can they???) because that would tip the balance and the prophecy of 13 v 7. But then I thought, Nomura was already doing a lot of mindfuckery with us in current canon _and_ the secret ending so, might as well?
> 
> I hate being late into the entire Union X lore too. Now my story makes zero sense because it was all Ventus all along, but its really not? And its not Lauriam or Brain's fault either but????? Maleficent??? My brain cannot handle???? 
> 
> Aw man, fuck you Nomura. I love Kingdom Hearts so much.


	2. Demyx

Demyx held his sitar close as he peeked into a corner.

Ever since he returned from his mission something had been amiss inside the castle. Everything was in chaos! Furniture he didn’t even know they had were thrown, pushed and torn apart by rather familiar looking claw marks. Stacks of papers, most likely from Vexen’s old studies were scattered about, and if Demyx didn’t know any better, he would’ve said that, that someone was smashing glass on purpose.

An intruder must've infiltrated the castle while most of the Organization were unaccounted for by their separate missions. As he was the first one to come back, Demyx knew he should be the one to deal with it. He really hoped it wasn’t a guardian. He had the power to hold them down on his own, but fighting was never Demyx’s deal. Running with style was more his ideal situation. He was simply joking however.

That behavior may have been excused in the old Organization, but the _real_ Organization was a lot less lenient. If he so much as breathed wrong, Demyx was sure he’d be killed on the spot. He was already benched thanks to the Replica program, so if they found out that he let someone walk in uninvited then he’s definitely dead. Thrice.

He didn’t become a Nobody, reformed as a human, then recreated as a Nobody again to suit the Organization’s schemes just to be killed again for something as stupid as failing security duties, which by the way, isn’t even his job. He was only reinstated as a Nobody because he and a few others were apparently connected to some ancient Keyblade legacy or something. Demyx didn’t have a single clue what that was about, so he forgot about it the moment the meeting ended.

As he walked deeper into the castle’s halls, Demyx figured that whoever found their way must’ve been really good at dodging. The castle had a reliable defense with the Heartless that thrived in the Darkness. They were never aggressive with the Organization unless they gave them a reason to be. They were always ready to attack and it didn’t take them long to end their target. If they were keyblade wielder however, then that was a different question altogether.

The damage reached until the very quarters where they slept, or was allowed some privacy. When Demyx filed into his quarters he let out a devastating shriek. His mattress was on the floor, the bedding in tatters, and his vinyl collection, which was one of the few things he treasured as a Nobody, were smashed into pieces.

“MY BABIES! THIS IS SOOOOO NOT COOL! I SPENT GOOD MUNNY ON THIS, GOOD MUNNY!!” Demyx lamented the loss of his most important possessions in life and promised to avenge their noble sacrifice. He followed the trail of disarray until he heard something crash nearby.

Demyx immediately rushed towards the store room where he heard it come from, and held his sitar at the ready. He cautiously reached for the door panel and – the door burst open and a small body crashed unto him.

They both fell back, with Demyx underneath the intruder who hastily scrambled to their feet. They didn't even bother to apologize. How rude!

"You're not going anywhere! Stop in the name of myself or I will force you too!" Demyx pushed himself upright and raised a hand to strum a beat on his weapon and summon his trusted cool water to his side.

Unfortunately, his bravado was kicked back to the ground when a group of aggravated Floods, skittered towards the escaping hoodlum. Demyx recognized them as Vanitas' creatures and clicked his tongue.

It wasn't even the Heartless, their cute little helpers that was trying to neutralize the threat. It was that new comer's pets. He grabbed a straggler by their jagged head and kicked them inside the store room. "Stay out of my way! I'm catching that intruder!"

Demyx ran after the swarm of Unversed towards a dead-end and almost tripped when he discovered the identity of his target. "You've got to be fucking shittin me."

The intruder, who pressed themselves closer unto the wall, was nothing but a kid. They kicked at the Unversed and frantically looked for a way out. A hundred questions ran through Demyx's mind that he was almost sure he wasn't using his own brain anymore.

When several Floods pounced onto the child, who screamed and could only protect themselves with their arms, Demyx did them a favor and summoned a pillar of water from the ground. It trapped and killed the Flood closest to the kid, while the others backed away, cautious. 

The creatures snapped their head towards Demyx, their red slitted eyes looking far more menacing than when they were directed at someone else. "Heh, heh, hey, pointy shadows. You probably don't understand me but, we're teammates! So uh - go easy on me?"

The Unversed simply cocked their heads and jumoed at him, their spindle like limbs going in for the kill. Demyx dodged them effortlessly. Low level grunts were like dust beneath his feet. He tossed Arpeggio up and over, and around his body creating ripples of waves in the room that erased most of their numbers.

The remaining few stayed rooted on the ground while reinforcements spawned not only from the floor but the air as well. Demyx chuckled nervously. Is this what trespassers that fought back dealt with every time? No wonder this castle was always empty, people could die against these hoards.

Demyx blew a tuft of hair out of his face as he repositioned Arpeggio for another round. He caught the child's curious stare at him and grinned, "No worries, kid. I got this. Just sit there and don't move. You and I need to talk."

Three floating red urns with small jagged wings threw fire balls at Demyx, who blocked it with a wall of water. With another strum of the strings the wall collapsed and washed away the remaining Floods. Several bulbous Unversed with mitten like hands spun around, dazed by the wave of water. The urns circled around Demyx from the air, until one managed to burn a portion of the Nobody's sleeve.

Demyx screamed as he patted away the flames, and quickly retaliated by swinging Arpeggio around him. A thick trail of water followed every curve until Demyx had successfully covered himself with a barrier of flowing water. It kept the Unversed far away enough for Demyx to slowly make his way towards the child, who shied away from him.

_Shy one, huh?_

"I'll take care of this quickly, alright? Then you and I are going to have a looooong lecture about sneaking into places you shouldn't be in." The moment the remaining Unversed ran for him, Demyx spun Arpeggio over his head then hit a special note.

Bubbled orbs of water fired circles over him and fired without mercy at the last of the enemy. The Unversed dispersed in a huff of purplish black smoke, while the water he spread around the hallway magically dissolved along his beloved sitar. Demyx swept a hand through his hair and sighed, " _That_ was a lot of unnecessary work. I am so not doing this again."

The child stared at him with a slight head tilt, then on the empty, danger free hallway. Oh, Demyx knew that look. He invented that look.

"A little 'You're so cool Demyx, you're my hero!' would suffice," he said with a hand cupped over his ear, waiting for the child to thank his extra effort to save them and look cool at the same time.

The child frowned, obviously not a pushover.

“I was _veeeeeery_ scared of the monsters, I thought I was going to die!” Demyx wiped fake tears off his eyes, and sniffed for effect still praying for some kind of reaction from the kid. When they didn’t react, Demyx huffed. “Look, I just saved you! Didn't your parents tell you how to say thank you?"

The child brows remained furrowed, seemingly apprehensive of him but bowed nonetheless. They still didn't say anything, but the gesture was special enough to be considered as such. However, before Demyx could start a new conversation with them the child already walked past the former.

“Hey! I’m not done with you!” He grabbed the back of the child’s shirt, who then struggled to pry his hands off them. They were physically weak, like a kitten with soft paws trying to break free. “Calm down, sheesh. I won’t kill you.” There was an unsaid _yet_ in that statement, but Demyx wasn’t a fool to say that aloud.

“I don’t know how you got here, but you’re going to get me in a lot of trouble. I’m the resident disappointment here. They’re all going to come back to this mess and I'll be the fall guy, again. _Unless_ , I bring you in, buuuuut you’re just a kid so I’m having a bit of a moral dilemma here.”

The child finally stopped trying to run and looked up at him with the blankest expression, unimpressed expression instead.

Demyx scoffed, offended by their audacity to insinuate such a thing. They didn’t even need to say it. “How dare you! I’m trying to be nice because you’re a kid. I may not have a heart, but I’m good at pretending. Killing children leaves a bad taste in my mouth but if I had to I would totally kill you!”

The child’s shoulder shook, as though chuckling. They didn’t think he could do it.

“You don’t got a lot of self-preservation skills do you?” The child blinked, clearly answering yes, and Demyx sighed as he let them go. “You’re lucky I found you first, if it was anyone else, you’d be a Heartless, or a Nobody, if you’re feeling rebellious. I need help tidying the place up, and this castle is too big for me so… truce?”

The child frowned as they thought the proposition over. They shrugged and gestured a hand out as though asking for some kind of payment in return for their help. Demyx huffed. “ _Seriously_? I saved you so technically _you_ owe me.”

The child waved their hand dismissively, silently saying that that didn’t count, then walked away. Demyx threw his hands out in disbelief as the kid disappeared in the next corner. This was his job now. Handling pests. He ran after them and grabbed their arm, making them cry in protest. “I’ll make this clear for you buddy. Where you go, _I_ go. And I say we go back there to clean your mess, then I’m kicking you out of the castle.”

The child’s head snapped in attention with wide eyes. Demyx tilted his head. “That’s what you wanted from me? To get out from this dump?” They nodded fervently.

Demyx rubbed the back of his head. He supposed that did make sense. If he too woke up in an empty castle that only had two colors, white or grey, as a kid, he too would be scared. “Yeah, okay, sure. I can do that. The quicker you clean it up the earlier you’ll leave. I don’t know when the other’s will be back, but if they catch you, you’re dead. Then I’ll be dead. We don’t want that.”

The child shook their head, agreeing. They then followed Demyx back to where they ran from and immediately got to work. Demyx stood guard by the door, just to make sure the kid didn’t have any ideas of escaping his sight, as well as to alert them if ever another Organization member came walking past. He had no personal attachment with the kid, but he certainly didn’t want them dead either.

The child seemed fairly independent in terms of cleaning up their mess and actually did a good job hiding the evidence they couldn’t fix. They struggled to heft the heavier and large furniture up by themselves but did not dare ask for Demyx’s help. Demyx was adamant about keeping his hands away from any more favors, but his non-existent heart couldn’t handle the futility of their efforts.

 _That_ , and he was worried if they took any more time, they were definitely going to get caught. In the end, he helped the kid to pick up the pace and by the time they got into the last room. They worked so in sync with each other they were practically talking through telepathy. Which meant a lot to Demyx because the kid was borderline mute.

Well, he wasn’t sure if they were mute or they just didn’t want to talk. Demyx was technically a stranger and a responsible kid would never talk to or trust a stranger. Still, their lack of verbalizations didn’t bother Demyx too much. He had experience with minimally vocal kids. In a way, their behavior reminded them of Roxas and Xion when they first joined. They were people of few words, Xion even more so, and the only way to tell what they were thinking was by reading their body language and taking a good long look at their faces. He never really found out what the deal was with those two before but Demyx prided himself at being very good at translating non-verbal talk.

He honestly didn’t think that skill would honestly become useful in the future.

After they finished, Demyx lay down with his arms spread as wide as he could. This was a lot more work than looking for a black box they’re not even sure existed. He sighed triumphantly. “We’re done! I can finally rest.”

The child looked down at them with expectant eyes.

“I know, I know. Just let me catch my breath, I did all the heavy lifting for you, slave driver.” The child grumbled impatiently and stormed to the side where they sat down with their arms crossed, obviously pissed. Demyx turned to his side to watch them, silently wondering about them.

_They want to get out that badly, huh?_

Demyx hummed to himself, suddenly having second thoughts about actually helping the kid escape the castle. The kid was… odd. He excused their weird behavior as typical of a confused, distressed, yet overly cautious child, but the more they worked together, the more he thought otherwise. Demyx knew kids; they were obnoxious balls of energy that cried whenever they’re scared. This one however, kept a level head against the nightmarish creatures and even had the gall to defy Demyx’s authority and help.

They were brave, braver than Demyx ever was at their age for sure. They didn’t even seem bothered by the whole ordeal after he dealt with the Unversed. Demyx didn’t know why, but he had a feeling the kid knew what they were and simply moved on. Maybe… they even knew where they were.

Demyx bit his tongue. Didn’t the Organization restart the Replica program with Vexen? He started to sweat a bit when he started to juggle the possibility that maybe, _maybe_ , the kid wasn’t a lost child and was actually supposed to be here. He pushed himself upright and tried to sound as casual and less accusatory, “Hey, what’s your name? We spent all this neat work together but we never really talked. I’m Demyx, handsome, master guitarist.”

The child stared at him, unimpressed and shrugged.

Demyx frowned, not really quite sure how to translate that answer. “You… don’t know or you don’t want to tell me?” The child shrugged not really caring which one he considered to be the proper answer. Demyx huffed. “That’s dumb. You can’t just _not_ have a name. Everyone has one! Even as a Nobody I had a name. You better not have amnesia too because I’ve dealt with that way too many times in this lifetime.”

When the child avoided his eyes and turned to the ground, Demyx’s smile slipped. “Oh shit, you don’t got memories? Like at all?”

They shook their head then walked to the door; a clear gesture that they were done talking about this with him now.

“That’s a bitch ain’t it? Not remembering?” Demyx said while they escorted them out. The child ignored him for the most part, which left an awkward silence between them. Now Demyx was definitely conflicted. He wanted to help the child get out of the castle because of their situation, but those blank memories also told Demyx that maybe, _maybe_ , the kid was one of Vexen’s new Replicas.

Deymx pressed his temples. The things he does for this Organization that didn’t even value him as a chosen vessel. He blocked the kid’s way out, who frowned up at him, confused. “I don’t think I should let you go just yet.”

The child’s brows furrowed even tighter, furious.

“Look! It’s nothing against you, I just don’t know how you got here and if I let you out thinking you came in here by accident instead of being brought here, then I’m definitely dead! Between you and me,I’d rather save my ass than an ungrateful kid like you.”

The child’s hand shook at his unkind words, then Demyx felt the room drop in temperature. Demyx recognized this power. It was similar to Xemnas’ twin – the one with the large Heartless with a hole for a chest as a weapon, albeit more muted. Darkness.

Demyx stepped back, alarmed by the energy rising around the child and summoned his weapon. Unsure whether he did it to defend himself or attack the kid. He really didn’t want to do either. It was nothing personal, he only thought about what was best for him. Always has, always will.

Dark wisps formed by the child’s left arm while they kept their eyes filled with anger and betrayal at the older blonde. Demyx grazed his hand close to the strings, waiting. He didn’t want to make the mistake of killing the kid if they ended up being important.

The tension between them was suddenly cut short when a large block of ice hit Demyx’s shoulder, pushing him flat on his back. The child cried out and a sheet of ice trapped them in place and a hand slapped the back of their head.

“I ask you to stay in your pod and the second I turn away, you disappear!” Vexen said, scolding the child without remorse. “Need I remind you who saved your life!”

The child clicked their tongue, annoyed while Demyx propped himself up with his shoulders. "Why’d you hit me too!?”

"You found my runaway test subject and you enabled them to escape. Do you really have no brain inside that small head of yours?!" Vexen said.

"That's a little rude…" Demyx pouted. "How was I supposed to know the kid was a test subject? I just got back here and no one welcomed me back but that kid! What was I supposed to think?"

"Not escort them outside the castle! You were going to run off with my only lead in perfecting the Replica program," the other said. "I have every right to call you an idiot. Do you even know who gave this assignment to me?”

“Not really, no. I’m not allowed inside the computer lab or any other labs.”

Vexen scoffed. “For good reason. You bring nothing but trouble. It’s an insult to me that I am even placed in the same position as yourself.”

“Hey! You’re no better than I am, fellow bench warmer!”

"I may be on reserve, but I am still contributing to this Organization and its future. Unlike you, what have you done to merit your spot in here?"

Demyx frowned. He knew why, he just wasn't sure if he could share that with Vexen.

"That's what I thought," Vexen sneered and grabbed the child's arm, who yelped at the former's forceful pull.

"H-hey I know he's a test subject, but can't you be a little bit nicer?"

“You stay out of this!” Demyx flinched together with the child. "If I were given a choice, I would dedicate all my time and effort to my life’s work; however, the Master refuses to work alongside us unless this child wakes. Now that they are, I am obliged to report it at once."

Demyx bit back any untoward comment and quietly escorted them back to the lab. The kid struggled to pull their arm out of Vexen's hand and occasionally sent a pleading look towards Demyx.

Vexen threw them back into the pod, and turned their back on them. Demyx bit his lip as the child slammed their hand on the glass. They still haven't spoken out and only expressed themselves with their eyes.

He turned his head away from the child, forcing himself to shove down whatever conflicting thoughts he had about using children as test subjects. Research really was filled with heartless people.

He shouldn’t feel anything as a Nobody. He shouldn’t feel pity as a vessel of Xehanort, either, benched or otherwise. Ansem had plans for the kid, and whether or not he knew that didn't matter. It was a plan. All Demyx had to do was follow it.

Demyx inhaled deeply and faced the kid, who glared at him. There was no place for forgiveness here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS DEMYX TIME!
> 
> Demyx is one of my favorite Organization members but he has way too little screen time, so I decided to give him one. I was really excited to write this chapter but I took a little too long figuring out how to write it and make it as less serious as Vexen's was; because Demyx is much more of a goofball than Mr. Mad Scientist is. 
> 
> I also know that he's like one of the rumored Union keyblade wielders because of that one scene in KHIII, but we've never met him as Player. Demyx is also a very different person from his somebody so even if we did meet, he wouldn't remember us. We wouldn't remember him either. ERGO, I give you Demyx caring for Player but not quite attached yet.
> 
> Thank you so much for the support from the first chapter by the way! I didn't know people were waiting for a sequel for this series (which plot I'm actually just making up as I go, sorry if I disappoint plenty). See you next chapter! 
> 
> Comment below which _real_ Organization member I should do next (totally not going to steal your idea if I like it, I'm kidding! Full credits if I do intend to use it).


	3. Luxord

Luxord studied the child before him. It was difficult to ascertain their gender given how their hair hid most of their facial features. They also wore the Organization’s black cloak which gave nothing away of their true identity. He was not informed of a new recruit. Luxord was certain they already completed their thirteen; with the remaining two still being replicated to serve as perfect vessels.

The child occasionally glanced up to him but was too intimidated to keep their focus on him for too long. Luxord tilted his head and their eyes briefly met. The child jumped and hid behind Demyx who had his hands clasped over his head, begging. “Please do me this solid just this once, Lux!"

“Do not refer to me like that,” he sighed. “We are not friends. And whatever reason you have I refuse to handle your problems. Unlike you, I have no time to carouse. I am occupied with more pressing matters.”

“Well you’re back here,” Demyx argued, “which means Sora kicked your ass in the Carribean.”

Luxord glared at the younger male who flinched. “W –What I meant was, you deserve a break! We all know what defeat tastes like and we shouldn’t let it fester. We only live once right?” He placed a hand on the child’s shoulder who shoved it off. “So what’s the best way to relax? To spend it with company! Have good ol uncle Luxord teach you something fun, right? Uh…” He huffed. “We haven’t really agreed on a name yet. I’m running out of sweet ideas.”

“A name?”

“Ansem found them in the Realm of Darkness, and Vexen’s been studying them since. I’m on babysitting duty because the kid keeps running off. They’re crafty, this one,” he added in a soft whisper. “They also kinda have no idea who they are, so we agreed to help them get their memories back if they are good.”

The child punched Demyx’s arm and the latter chuckled. “I know, I know. Work to do. Please Luxord! Just this once, I won’t take long. I promise! Its Ansem orders, and you know how that goes.”

Luxord’s brows furrowed. “What does Ansem need a “benched” member like you to do this late in the game? We all received our orders.”

Demyx crossed his arms behind his head and grinned. “You know the protocol, Lux, my lips are sealed. You shouldn’t be asking questions either, so laters!” He threw his arms out with his hands gesturing out double peace signs and disappeared inside a dark corridor that led to who knows where.

Luxord sighed with the shake of his head then glanced at the child who stood at least three feet away from him, watching the last wisps of darkness disappear from the room. “And what say you about this unwanted predicament?” The child shrugged as though to say their opinion on it wouldn’t matter anyway.

“A person of few words are you?” The child nodded which made the former smile a little. Perhaps their company wouldn’t be as rough as he made it seem. “I was quite worn out from my assignment, may I persuade you to try a little game?” He flipped his hand to pull three gray cards with a white border and five Nobody symbols on its back.

The child shrugged again, not really having an opinion of their own. Nonetheless they silently followed him to a room where they could settle themselves in comfortably. Heeding Demyx's warning, Luxord made sure the child was always ahead of him in case they decided to run away behind his back. He had no inkling as to why the child was of importance to Ansem and Vexen but thought it unimportant. Looking after this child was a far easier task than scouring dozens of worlds for a box they did not even know existed.

The child watched him minutely shuffle his deck of card with large fascinated eyes. Luxord was unsure whether to be bothered by the attention placed on him, or if he should be flattered by it. Nevertheless he thought it best to grant the child a spectacle if they were that interested in his act and impressed by his dexterity.

He divided the stack into two halves and held them both horizontally on each palm. He placed his thumb and smaller finger at the bottom edge, and divided the two stacks further into two with his remaining three fingers. He rotated the new piles next to each other and applied pressure on the deck closest to his thumb. The edges of both piles shuffled together, and he flipped his hands down to shuffle them together in a neat pile.

The smallest of noises came from the child’s mouth, clearly amazed by his act.

Feeling emboldened by their reaction, Luxord did the one hand shuffle trick again; only this time he had the entire pile cut into two with his right, then divided the pile nearest his pinky into another half with his left forefinger. He divided the new half on his left hand again, flipping the upper half between his fingers while the remaining half stuck close to his thumb. He shuffled the cards on his right together, pressed them on his left and stacked the remaining cards over it.

All of this happened in a second.

The child blinked, as though applauding him then stared. Luxord chuckled. “Would you like to see more? Perhaps one only I could do” They nodded.

Luxord pulled his hands apart, letting the cards levitate on its own space as though by magic and rotating them around him. The child gaped as a few cards flew towards them and circled around their head. They tried to grab onto one but Luxord pulled it back and shimmied the cards to form a cohesive S shaped wave between his grasp, slammed them all back together then raised his hands, nary a trace of playing cards on hands.

The child jumped and searched around for the cards, failing, until Luxord revealed them again with a flick of his wrist. “Shall we play?”

The child smiled, the first clear expression on their face since they met and nodded. Luxord dealt all the cards between them, deciding on something easy to start their time with. It was a simple yet classic game he’d learned from childhood. When the Organization first assembled, Luxord also used this game as a means to socialize with the rest. It proved too elementary for everyone (except Demyx) and thus were compelled to raise the stakes by adding a betting pool and including a punishment for the defeated. It was a genuinely good past time among them. Poker was yet another favorite, however, no one could win against him in that and so Old Maid it was.

The child quickly understood the rules then developed a winning streak. Luxord was courtier of luck himself, but this was by far the luckiest he’s seen another have at it in this game. The game followed a rule of chance, and with only two players, that percentage was divided evenly between them. However, the child seemed to have sucked his luck out of the draw.

The only way Luxord thought it possible to win Old Maid 100% of the time was through cheating. Luxord was a man of principle and as a gambler, his pride did not allow him to cheat. He found the act abhorrent to even consider. He did however engage in acts that gently nudged the tides into his direction. It wasn’t cheating, it was a calculated move to ensure victory. That being said, while he enjoyed the child’s silent leaps and noises of joy and triumph, Luxord had his pride as a gambler to protect.

Luxord laid out all the cards on the table after he shuffled them twice, then collected them with a wave of his hand. He grabbed a piece from within the deck, certain of its suit and number then placed it to the side to serve as their unlucky card. They proceeded to toss out pairs in their hand until they were left with a good amount of cards each on their hand. He let the child pick from his hand first until they were down three each left.

Luxord studied his cards and falsely mixed it around to fool the child. They had a habit of choosing the leftmost card, then the second card front the right, and then the middle card. If he read them right, then the child was most likely to take the on in the middle.

The child pulled the King of spades and clicked their tongue. Luxord chuckled as he pulled the penultimate pair he needed to end this match, “What luck, you have dear friend. The dice has been cast to favor me next.”

They pouted and hid their last two cards behind their back, shuffling it away from Luxord’s prying eyes. Luxord however knew this was a futile endeavor. When the child finally showed their cards, their eyes very briefly shifted to the card on their right. Luxord fought back a grin. It was a valiant effort to retain their winning streak.

He hovered his hand to the left card, and at the last minute pulled the card on their right. The child gasped as their loss dawned on them, and Luxord dropped his winning pair unto the table. “And the undefeated finally bows to my genius.”

They threw their remaining card on the table and huffed, clearly annoyed with their loss. Luxord found their exaggerated expressions rather amusing. With how little they spoke aloud, it was the most he could gather from what they thought. “I’ll allow you a chance to redeem yourself, but this time what do you think of putting up a little wager?”

They tilted their head, curious. “If you win, you may ask me for anything you wish from the outside -” their eyes grew in surprise. “You are a subject of Vexen’s ridiculous research, I know how heartless he could be to children. I cannot grant you freedom, but I may provide you a bit of consolation for your cooperation. How about it?”

The child pursed their lips, disappointed at the offer but nonetheless nodded. They then pointed at Luxord with a frown on their face. “If I win,” he continued. “We shall pick a name for you.”

The child immediately shook their head. As lucky as they were stubborn, they seemed. “Then you should do your best to not lose.” Luxord shuffled the cards again, chose his Old Maid, and methodically guided the maid around so that the child fell into a false sense of confidence. The child had managed to learn from their previous loss and got rid of their glancing tell, making it harder for Luxord to guess where the maid had gone after they shuffled their cards almost every two turns.

Despite this, Luxord was confident he knew he was going to win this. He only had six cards left while the child held seven. He pulled his lucky draw and shaved two more cards on his hand from six to four. The child then dropped another pair, leaving Luxord with four cards to choose from and one forbidden card to avoid.

Just as he pulled out a card, Vexen waltzed into the room with a clipboard on hand. “I see you’ve stumbled with yet another face you shouldn’t have.” The child narrowed their eyes at Vexen, obviously weary of them. Luxord slotted his unknown fifth card into his hand and regarded the scientists with a curt nod.

“Demyx left them in my care.”

“And you taught them to gamble?”

“It helps to relax the mind.”

“That’s… nice,” Vexen sighed in disbelief. “However, that’s enough games. We still have much to do. Come, Subject UE.”

Luxord raised a brow at him, unimpressed by the horrible name. Vexen sighed. “They refuse to be called anything specific, thus, I will continue to refer to them as such.”

Luxord tapped his chin in thought. “I’m certain I can come up with something more acceptable.”

“We don’t have time for tha -”

“Yue?”

The child shook their head, and Vexen palmed his face. “The musical buffoon had the same idea and they refused it all the same. It’s best to refer to them by their subject name. It keeps us from being attached like the last time.”

“The last time you slotted one of your subject’s in our ranks, we didn’t even know she was one.”

“Would informing you have made such a difference?”

Luxord shrugged. The child frowned at their exchange, unaware of this other subject they casually mentioned just now. Vexen fixed his lab coat and beckoned for Yue to rise. “I have no trouble trapping you in ice again if you do not leave with me right _now_.”

The child glanced at him one last time, hoping to get Luxord to their side and allow them to stay. He smiled apologetically and leaned back. Their game was fun while it lasted, however the child was still a pawn in a much bigger game. He may not know what that is, but that remains to be true. He mustn't interfere with their special role, whatever that may be. “Run along, Yue. If you finish early we could play another game together.”

That seemed to bring the child’s spirits up because they stood immediately and said, “Sea salt ice cream.” Vexen blinked, flabbergasted, while Luxord’s eyes grew, surprised that the child actually had a voice. They then ran out of the room and found their way towards the lab on their own, leaving both Nobodies at a loss at what they just heard.

Vexen turned to Luxord, his mouth opening and closing, unsure of what to ask or say. In the end he chose not divulge anything and left. Luxord glanced down at his cards, and chuckled.

_Seven of hearts._

Luxord admitted his defeat. It’s been a while since he visited Twilight Town after all.

* * *

The next time Luxord crossed paths with the child, he found them sprawled out on the floor, breathing heavily and looked a little pale all over. Luxord supposed Vexen tired the kid out with his experiments beyond the usual and had been kind enough to give them the time off. Lucky for them, Luxord had just picked up their prize from off-world.

“Hard day at the lab I see.”

The child groaned as they rolled their eyes to look at them. They lazily raised their hand for their prize from last time’s bet. Luxord pulled the frozen treat from his coat and kept it out of the child’s reach, who pouted at his antics. “Ask properly. You boldly requested it with your words before. I think we’ve moved past conversing through gestures now.”

They frowned, silently refusing the plea and lunged for their prize. Luxord dodged, keeping his arm high above his head, and the child stumblingly followed after him. They tripped on their own two legs and Luxord caught them before they hit their head. The child pushed him away, clearly annoyed by his playfulness.

Luxord dangled the ice cream over the child’s head who tried to ignore it. “Use your words,” he asked again.

The child grumbled, their arms crossed over their chest and swiped the ice cream from his hand. They ripped it off the plastic and shoved the frozen dessert inside their mouth. After a while the child mumbled something Luxord missed.

“What was that? I couldn’t quite hear.”

The child chewed on the stick, annoyed, and mumbled a soft thank you.

Luxord nodded. “Now that wasn’t so hard was it?” They threw the crumpled plastic wrapper towards him in response. Luxord tilted his head to avoid being hit on the face and the wrapper bounced then rolled on the ground. “Yue. Don’t litter.”

Yue growled and stuck their tongue out. Luxord kept his blank stare at them which quickly made the younger uncomfortable. “Pick it up, or no more ice cream for you.” Yue pushed themselves up from their supine position and stomped over to the wrapper to throw it in the garbage. They returned to glare at Luxord who gave them another stick. “For your effort.”

Almost instantly the kids eyes sparkled and all their anger towards him dissipated. Luxord sat back on the couch, while the child finished yet another ice cream in record time. He never did quite understand why children liked that piece of frozen flavored water. While the child compared the words engraved on the two Popsicle sticks on their hand, Luxord pulled out a small piece of candy with brown packaging for himself. It’s still rather sweet but it also has that right hint of caffeine that keeps him alert during missions.

Luxord caught the child staring at his candy rather curiously and offered a piece. The child naively took it into their mouth, and quickly spat it out. They wiped their tongue disgustedly with their sleeve and made a horrified face at Luxord.

“You’ll get used to caffeine when you’re older, kid.” The kid vehemently shook their head, silently vowing never to do so. They reached their hand out to him again as though to ask for another piece of ice cream. Luxord frowned. He didn’t expect them to be so ravenous.

“These are dessert items, not supper. Has Vexen not properly given you anything to eat?”

They shook their head, not the least bit bothered by it, then insisted on getting another Popsicle.

Luxord sighed. Nobodies had no need for food nor water because they were empty bodies that only persist to exist due to their strong will. They are still able to partake in the act should they choose to, but Luxord found it counterproductive. There was no point in pretending to be something he no longer was. That being said, the child was not like him, or at least… that’s what Luxord wanted to believe.

It was quite odd to suddenly adopt a new Nobody for study considering their tight schedule for the upcoming battle between their forces and the seven warriors or light. Then again, Vexen wasn’t the type to share as well.

“How about another game? Should you beat me, I will buy you more sea salt ice cream. If I win, you will eat whatever food I give you next, deal?”

The child shook Luxord’s hand and sat across him, waiting.

Luxord laid out his cards and laid out sets of five cards between them. The rules of this game may be a bit complicated but he was certain the astute thinking would enable them to understand it fairly quickly. “I will teach you any gamblers favored game. With your luck in our first duel, I feel that you are ready to take me on in a serious match.”

The child listened to Luxord intently, and as he expected, they quickly understood the rules. They ran trial matches, wherein Luxord would show the kid his hand, and the child would then try to craft a set with higher value compared to his. Once the child was able to make their own decisions and play without his help, Luxord shuffled the deck on his hand. They were ready.

However, before he could give out their respective hands the child grabbed the stack of cards from his hand and shuffled them again. They stared at Luxord with a distrustful frown, which made the former chuckle. He raised his hand in defeat. “Poker is not a game you simply cheat at. It’s a game of the mind and self. I wouldn’t dare tarnish its respectable name with lowly tricks.”

The child dealt five cards between them and closely held their up to their nose. They watched Luxord with narrowed eyes while the latter laid back to study his hand. This was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KH:Melody of Memory got announced, then Dark Road got released, my interest in KH and this fic has risen from the ashes. I also rewrote some contents of the first two chapters to account for things/canon info I didn’t know or include when I first wrote them. They’re not massive changes tho dw.
> 
> Luxord has always been the next person I had in mind for Player to meet. He seemed like a really cool guy in KH2, and an even cooler guy in KH3. If he wasn’t an Org member I bet he’d be good with kids. I just hate his speech pattern, so eloquent and talking in game/luck metaphors, I’m no good with those huhu. I practically slept with a thesaurus just to get a semblance of his vocabulary right. 
> 
> No suffering Player this chapter, only fun times no alcohol required. The Player is still unnamed but will occasionally be referred to as Subject UE by Vexen and Yue by Luxord. Demyx is the only one who respects the Players decision to remain unnamed. 
> 
> P.S I don’t actually know how to play Poker, so the scene fade out it is.


	4. Larxene

Larxene returned to base with a heavy scowl. She finished her job with flying colors, finding not one, but _two_ new hearts to fill their new Seven Princesses of Light. It was a surprise really, how two sisters, one of pure heart, and the other plagued with darkness, managed to influence each other to grow into a blinding light that could power worlds. Larxene only needed to make sure one of them was born as a back-up plan for their back-up plan, but who was she to refuse two? It saved them all the trouble of scouring worlds for the remaining hearts.

Given a win like that, one would think Larxene should be elated. Even she was shocked at this emotion rippling through her supposedly heartless body. Larxene was _pissed_.

The last person she talked to before skipping out of that frozen hell hole was the goody-two shoes and his nitwits. She knew Sora was going to pop up one way or another. Pests always do. But she didn’t expect her mood to be this run down to the ground. It was all the brat’s self-righteous speeches and amiable nature that truly grated her nerves.

Larxene gagged as she mouthed Sora’s teasing about their short handed number, then his empty threats; if one would even consider the latter capable of such, and shuddered. “Ugh, gross.” It left a bad taste in her mouth. “As if this war hasn’t strung along innocent people before.”

It also didn’t help that the thought of Sora and his dastardly keyblade reminded her of the thing Xemnas told her and the rest of her old Organization buddies. She had hoped to forget it with the mission, but seeing that weapon on the twerp’s hand just made it gnaw at her mind again.

_You were chosen to unlock an ancient keyblade history_

What kind of bullcrap was _that_ even supposed to mean?

Unlike the higher number who knew of their past once they woke to being Nobodies, Larxene wasn’t as lucky. When she was first given the name Larxene and subsequently recruited into the Organization, Larxene had to put up a front to hide the fact that she didn’t remember anything about herself. Not even a semblance of her personality. Most of the organization then when she was welcomed had already established who they were in the unit. There was a sadistic lancer, the silent and rather stoic brute axe man, and et cetera, et cetera. They knew who they were, or at least, established who they were now as a separate person to their past.

As one of the last to be recruited, and the only female member at that, Larxene had to adapt with the big boys. She smiled for days on end, giggling, playful, and teasing; anything to throw them off the fact that she was struggling to find her true self. In the end, her search made her too impatient, too angry, and too desperate when all her efforts led to nothing.

What initially started as a mask _became_ Larxene, the only self she’d ever come to know.

She treated others like dirt, too callous, and too spiteful to let anyone in and get to know her. As though to match everyone’s lack of a heart, she became just as ruthless as the other, refusing to be seen as anything less just because she was a woman in a man’s world. She became disliked, but feared.

Larxene soon found that she liked the feeling of being feared, and hasn’t stopped making it so since. She loved this version of herself; the assured and strong persona she felt like her past self was not. Somehow, she felt like her past self was so disgustingly weak that it was a blessing that she didn’t remember her altogether. Larxene loved her confidence and ambition. After all, that’s what got her reinstated in the _real_ Organization.

She was by no means into the whole, being a vessel of some old man, but after Xemnas’ little meeting with the former number’s nine to herself, that once lost, unsure, desperate mewling woman was back gnawing at her mind.

How the fuck was she supposed to unlock an old ancient keyblade history hidden within herself, when she barely found answers about her past life on her own? She rolled her eyes, waving her hand dismissively at the annoying thought. “Ah, to hell with it. I don’t need whoever I was to know who I am now.”

She strolled back to her room, hopefully to get some beauty sleep before they were called out to gather for the final fight. She’d done her job and that means she had all the time in the world to relax till then. Larxene passed by the lobby on her way to her quarters, a little surprised to find Luxord by the high tables, fixing up what looked like a plate of freshly cooked meat with a string or two of vegetable on the side.

“What’s all this?” she said, gesturing to the meal with her nose held up in disgust.

“Larxene, how timely of you to return.”

She raised a brow at the other, with hands on her hips. “This isn’t for me is it? I prefer my suitors younger, and less bearded.” Luxord briefly looked at her, his poker face unbroken. “And preferably not you. Sorry old man ‘M not interested.”

“Then perhaps it is for the best that this isn’t for you then.”

Larxene huffed. She knew it wasn’t for her, but the way Luxord said it made her a tad bit annoyed. None of them needed to eat. It was one of the few blessings of being an entity without a heart. So, who the hell was it for?

The question was left unsaid but Luxord seemed to understand the glare she had on the plate before them. “If you stay longer, you’ll find out soon. They should be done with Vexen now.”

Larxene, against her better judgement, pulled back a chair and settled down. She drummed her fingers on the table, impatiently waiting for this mystery person.. This better be not some trick with Demyx or else she’ll gouge both their eyes out.

Fortunately, or _unfortunately_ , it wasn’t a joke. The door which led to several laboratories Vexen used to keep his little wind-up toys in slid open behind her. A child of indiscernible gender and age walked in with a crossed expression on their face. They barely gave Larxene a passing glance and sat themselves across Luxord, who waited beside the plate of meat.

The child glanced at the food, clicked their tongue, then glared at Luxord, who simply chuckled. “As we have agreed, you lost our last gamble and must eat _real_ food.”

The kid arguably shook their head and gestured something with their hands that Larxene didn’t understand. Luxord stood his ground, as though he understood whatever nonsense the child just motioned about and pushed the plate closer to the latter. He frowned at the child, his gaze growing more imposing each second.

The child huffed then angrily stuffed meat into their mouth, pushing away the greens as they did. Luxord’s eyes narrowed into slits and the child begrudgingly pushed them back.

Larxene glanced between them, suddenly feeling left out of whatever was going on between them. “Alright, what in kingdom _shit_ is this? Can’t the brat talk?”

“Ansem brought them back from the Realm of Darkness,” Luxord started then reiterated what he heard from Demyx, followed by some other information he was allowed to share from Vexen’s studies. “And no, they aren’t mute. If I recall correctly, Vexen called it… selective mutism.”

“Fancy term that don’t mean shit to me,” Larxene scoffed. “If the kid can talk, then let them. No need to baby them. We’re not a kindergarten.”

The child looked at her, eyes flashing in a split second image of recognition, before they frowned; either curiously or offensively. Larxene didn’t give a shit. She growled at the child, who blinked at her sudden animosity. _That’s right pipsqueak, I’m not in a friendly mood and I bite_ , she thought to herself.

“No need to be hostile. They are one of us now,” Luxord said, ignoring her comment earlier. “When the time arises that I am not here, I would do you the same faith Demyx has given me.”

“Hard pass,” she groaned with a wave of her hand. “I’m not taking care of some snot nosed brat. Have fun playing dad with a future vessel or some shit. I’m going to my room. Don’t ring me up.” After she disappeared into the other door that led to their respective quarters, the child looked up to Luxord, a question mark painted on their face.

“Do not mind her, Larxene’s like that to everyone. Now eat before Vexen calls for you again.”

Luxord turned around to discard the paper container the food had come from and the child stared at the door the female Nobody just exited from. “Larxene…”

* * *

Larxene was woken up by three, maybe four, no - ten knocks on her door some time later. She tried to ignore it, but the knocks kept on coming. She pushed herself up and glared at the door, silently sending her killing intent through the metal door.

For a while, the glaring seemed to work then the knocking returned. Larxene tried to ignore it by pulling the covers over herself, still the knocking continued, insistent. “Oh for the love of -” she shoved the covers to her feet and stomped towards the door. “DIDN’T I SAY NOT TO DISTURB ME! _”_ Larxene paused, blinking when she didn’t see anyone by the door. At least... no one at direct eye level.

She looked a tad lower and spotted Luxord’s kid - or Ansem’s - whoever it was who owned or fathered the child, it didn’t matter. Luxord didn’t bother sharing the kid’s name to her anyway. The child blinked, eyes blank, face devoid of emotion. Larxene’s eye twitched when the child’s visage shifted into that of Xion in her mind. Those empty eyes reminded her of that puppet. By hearts, she hated that bitch.

Larxene peered on both sides of the corridor, trying to find Luxord hiding away somewhere like a helicopter parent. This has got to be some ploy between him, Demyx and the kid to drag her in their little babysitting club. When she didn’t find either of them, she stared at the kid again and hissed, crossing her arms as she did, “ _What?_ Daddy got fed up with you and now you’re running around for scraps?“

The child blinked again, their intentions still deafeningly unclear.

Her eyes twitched. She didn’t have the patience nor the skill to decipher what their cryptic look meant. She also _didn’t_ want to understand any or at all of what they meant. The less she did, the less capable she would be in handling them. Larxene definitely wasn’t going to smother the brat with kindness just because she had to. She hardly knew what they needed another kid for experiments for. They already had the Replica’s, _and_ a backup for Replica’s, and a _backup_ for the missing warriors of light.

One more secret plan and she’s going to make that balding golden eyed man wish he had stopped with plan A. Just how much more convoluted does Xehanort intend to make this war be. _It was already a shitshow from the start_ , she thought to herself.

The child kept staring, and Larxene shuddered.

She thought she might have just imagined the recall that flash in the kid’s eyes the first time they met, but now she was sure. The child looked at her like they knew her. It was downright insulting.

“Nuh-uh, no, no, I’m not doing this. You’re going back to Vexen,” she harshly grabbed the kid’s arm and pulled them along with her.

They let out a pained yelp, which Larxene so casually ignored. She’s fought children before; with knives, she can handle one brat that had the most frustrating sets of eyes she’s ever seen.

The child continued to struggle against her grip, punching and slapping her arm just to make her release them. Larxene grew tired of their futility and smacked them on the head. The child’s free hand flew to their head, eyes narrowing in protest. A silent venomous word fluttered over their eyes, but Larxene once again dismissed it.

“Ohhhh stop being such a whiny baby. I’m just returning you back to your cage so you can leave me the fuck alone. I’m not as easily manipulated by your adorable face like the oth- OW!” Larxene immediately pulled her arm and back handed the kid on instinct. The child fell to their side, a red mark obvious on their cheek.

Larxene stared at the reddening circle on her skin and shook. “YOU BIT ME! FUCKING BRAT!”

The kid pushed themselves upright again, standing their ground with an oddly misplaced resolve in their eyes. Larxene hissed at those eyes. They shone far too brightly for a creature borne out of darkness like her. Now, not only did the kid remind her of Xion, but their stubborn eyes also mirrored Sora's faith in the good of all people. Always, going on and on about saving everyone. Well, pity, she didn’t want to be saved.

It’s already too late to save her anyway.

She felt her anger rise, and before she could stop herself, threw out her knives, sparking with electricity towards the kid. The child raised their arms, but didn’t even once flinch at the lightning that danced inches away from their limbs.

The blades flew right past, and lodged themselves on the wall. “Stop being so fucking annoying before I actually kill you. I don’t know what Vexen and Ansem plans to do with you, but I want out of it. So be a good little kid before I turn you into a lightning rod.”

The kid lowered their arms, seemingly won over by her anger, until they took one step forward and shook their head. They once again stared at her, eyes mirroring a plea she could not, _did not_ understand.

Larxene felt a vein pop in her head. A murderous grin slipped past her lips, her patience already reaching its absolute limit “You got a death wish, don’t you? Is that what this is?”

Their eyes answered her with just silence. This time though, Larxene understood it.

She didn’t know why. She absolutely despised those eyes. It reminded her too much of Xion and Sora’s own. It also didn’t help that the longer she stared, the more she felt as though his past actually recognized them as well.

She didn’t even know why. She didn’t know why it made her _so_ angry. All she knew is that every part of her body wanted it gone. She wanted to kill it dead; wanted to get rid of anything related to her weak past self, _whoever that was._

Her arm sparked. “Oh, I get,” she said with a theatrical wave of one hand, “You’ve had enough of playing nice and want it over with, right? A swift death. That what you want? That’s why you’re being an insufferable brat right now. To get me angry so I can end it all.”

The child reached out for her arm, and naturally Larxene pulled away. “Back off, brat! I didn’t say you could touch me.”

The kid lowered their head then very shyly, gestured something with their hands; one face down and the other moving across the open palm like they were writing. Larxene didn’t have the patience to decipher their signs, but only an idiot wouldn’t understand _that_.

“You... want something to write on?”

They nodded, making the older palm her face. A rather unsatisfying mix of emotions swirled in her brain that basically just left her more exhausted than she was before. “I almost fucking killed you over a freaking notebook,” she sighed.

The child tilted her head, seemingly unbothered that they almost just died by her hand. “You’re a weird one, kid, I don’t know whether to be scared or worried about you.”

“Luxord said you weren’t mute, so use your fucking tongue.”

The child looked away, obviously still intent on keeping silent. Larxene scoffed. “Figures. Nothing ever came easy in this world.”

“I do this one thing for you, and you leave me alone forever, got it?”

They hesitated for a second but nonetheless nodded.

“Thank fuck, I thought I was going to have to hurl you at a wall,” she sighed and immediately led them to Namine’s old quarters. They should have a couple of spare notebooks and crayons lying around. That is, if no one came to clean up the place after the first organization died off.

The kid followed her from behind like a newborn duckling albeit with less quacking and more dead silence. Larxene didn’t realize how endearing that silence was now.

Larxene found two blank sketchbooks inside the drawers but no crayons. They tried searching Demyx’s room next because he was the closest person to act like child in the organization (the young Xehanort didn’t count) and failed. The child made a face as though to say, ‘I told you so’ to which she shoved a gloved hand to to silence.

They ventured to Vexen’s lab next as a one stop shop. She’d be able to leave the brat where she intended to, and maybe find them a pencil to write with as well. “Hey, blabbermouth, you got a pen? This duckling won’t stop following me until I give it what it wants?”

Vexen's head popped up from his piles of books and notes. “A pen?”

“No a knife, _yes_ , a pen."

“Why would you assume that I have a pen?” he frowned. “All our data is encrypted directly into the computer. We are not so primitive to use such things anymore.”

“Well _excuse_ me for thinking you, a scientist, stuck in these four walls playing with your dolls everyday and night, would have some form of writing tool.”

Vexen sighed, defeated. “Then I _apologize,_ you assumed wrong. What do you even need a pen for?”

“Not me,” Larxene huffed then jabbed a thumb towards the young one. “Them.”

Vexen's eyes sparkled in heightened interest. “You know how to write?” The duckling shrugged, but the scholar nonetheless grew excited at the new information. “Then we shall make haste. If they are capable of literacy, we may be able to get something out of them without forcing them to speak.”

Larxene groaned even louder as she was dragged along to find any and all writing material in the whole freaking castle. After about an hour scouring all over for the place for even the smallest clump of color; they reconvened with about 3 crayons, and one charcoal pencil that was snapped in half.

Vexen sat the kid in the middle of the lab and picked up his tablet, ready to input whatever data this little experiment of his would yield. Larxene hardly saw it as an experiment as it resembled more of a nursery activity.

“Very well, write what it is you want to convey.”

The child stared at the paper then very anxiously hovered the crayon over the surface. Vexen watched intently, while Larxene curled her hair antenna around her finger, clearly bored. After minutes of nothing the child finally scribbled on the page then flipped it around for them to see.

Visible confusion etched on Vexen’s eyebrows while Larxene burst out laughing. The scientist turned to her, perplexed at first, but as she continued to guffaw, his eyes narrowed in intrigued as though he just discovered something crucial.

“Christ, kid, where did you learn that?” Larxene shouted. “Did Demyx teach you that? _Holy shit_ , that’s not something a kid should know!” She clutched her stomach, bending over to curb her spirit. “No that pasty bread wouldn’t know shit, it’s got to be Luxord. He curses like hell when he loses a game.”

“Hold on,” Vexen cut her off, “you can -? You can read what they wrote?”

Larxene wiped a tear and waved a hand around. “I’m not illiterate, Vexen. Of course I can read it. They called you a -” she stopped herself. “Actually, I’m not saying that. It’s bad for my reputation.”

Vexen pressed the bridge of his nose. “Larxene… This is one, if not the biggest revelation I have had with them since they arrived. I am already behind schedule on my Replicas and have very little patience right now. _What did they write?_ ” he hissed.

She rolled her eyes. “Sheesh, at least say please if you’re going to be so pissy about it. And no way. A lady shouldn’t say that aloud.”

“Fine,” Vexen conceded. “They shall write something else, and you will tell me then.”

Larxene looked at the note again, making sure she read it write and wasn’t just hallucinating. The words hadn’t changed. “You seriously can’t read it?” Vexen shook his head, which prompted Larxene to read it _again_ for the nth time. Still as clear as day.

Vexen picked up the notebook from the kid and wrote something on his own as well, “Read and compare.”

“You’re an annoying bitch,” she read on command, and glared at Vexen. “Har, har, very funny _._ ” Vexen bristled and turned the page back to the kid’s writing.

Larxene gasped, finally catching unto Vexen’s discovery. Her mask faltered, the amusement falling prey to the confusion that now painted her eyes. The characters they used to write both messages were very different. Vexen wrote with a script that Larxene read everywhere in almost every world she visited, meanwhile the child wrote in almost symbolic script.

“Wha- how could? But I-?”

“That is something I would like to know the answer too as well. You are aware UE has no memories?”

“UE?”

“Their name, or well, what I have decided to call them. They do not prefer to settle with a single name.”

She shook her head, not the least bit interested in that. She grabbed the paper in Vexen’s hand and shoved it at the child. "Write something else,” her voice almost pleading.

The child scribbled out a new message.

"What does it say?" Vexen asked.

"They’re asking when they can leave."

Vexen rolled his eyes. "We have been through this already. You are not leaving until my study has been completed. Have you forgotten that I may have a way to retrieve your forgotten memories?"

The child wrinkled their nose and wrote another string of words. “Just one trip, they want to see outside.”

Vexen shook his head. “Absolutely not! They have been trapped in the realm of darkness for far too long. They must remain bathed in darkness or else they would cease to exist. Light exists out of this world, lest you want them dead that badly?”

Larxene frowned. She may have once, but with this new information, things have changed between them. All of a sudden her irritation at their seemingly familiar eyes made sense. _Her past_. For the first time since being born as a Nobody, she finally had a lead.

It’s a shame her lead also didn’t have memories. It was almost ironic how they’ve both forgotten themselves. "Just... who is this kid?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be here. All we know for certain is that they were once a keyblade wielder, or is," he corrected. “I have yet to see them summon it again."

Xemnas words echoed again in her head - _chosen to unlock an ancient keyblade history._

Vexen turned to his data, continuing on with his scientific rants that Larxene didn’t understand. In the end, Vexen appointed her as the child's translator, much preferring this mode of communication than guessing their hand motions to which only Demyx and Luxord seemed to understand.

Larxene sighed to herself as the child followed her all the way to her quarters. Luxord still hadn't returned, probably still looking for that box, and Demyx was out gallivanting someplace else. So much for not being bothered.

The little duckling settled themselves as far away as they could from her, somehow respecting their distance after they got what they wanted. Larxene tried prying more history off them, but the child merely directed her to their favorite written page that said _“I don’t know”_.

Her frustration bubbled up inside again and decided to call it off for the day lest she act on it again. If she read that line one more time, she was going to rip the entire notebook in half.

After a long time of silence, she heard the kid’s clothes rustle towards her. They held the sketchbook close to them and looked as though they wanted to say something. Larxene pushed herself off the bed and tilted her head, “What do you want now?”

The little duckling handed them the sketchbook, and Larxene half expected to see another stupid request written on it. To her surprise, it wasn’t just a request, it was an entire drawing. Poorly done in comparison to what she’s seen Namine do, but it was clear enough to spark a semblance of familiarity in her.

It was a drawing of purple colored twin towers with a large golden clock in the middle. "Daybreak town," she found herself saying on instinct, and the child beamed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Larxene enters the battle!
> 
> I dunno if I got Larxene right, but I did my best to get her to as close as I think she acts to the game. She was always so bitchy in her cut scenes and I felt like she would be the type that hates or generally dislikes kids. She's also very theatrical and begging for a reaction, so I thought she'd get really pissed at someone who hardly showed or said what they think. 
> 
> I took a bit of freedom with how she became and entirely different person from Elrena (Union X). It's one of the biggest mysteries Union X gave us and I wanted to throw my take on it. As for the language only she and the kid can understand, that's a personal head canon. I used it in Something Lost, Something Found too, if you can spot it, that Daybreak Town uses it's own language (dead language now hahaha) I wanted to use something to connect keykid with the other "ancient weilders" without relying too much on their memories of each other because half of them barely met then.
> 
> Also, Larxene is so going to call the kid duckling. Add that to the list of pseudo-names.


End file.
